Okay,i’m mad. I’m bloody fuming over here, and I have damned good reason. Wanna know why?

Because the Tea Party Wackos Want To Take Away My Right To Vote! As you can imagine, I consider the very idea an infringement upon my basic rights as an American Citizen, and I’m more than a little upset at the idea that my rights are being taken away.

Let me be a little more specific for those of you with severe aversion to clicking links.

The President of the Tea Party Nation has gone on record as saying that he thinks it’s a good idea to restrict the ability to vote to property owners. He says that that is the way it was intended in the constitution, and he even says that it would be a good idea for people’s votes to have more weight if they own more property.

 Okay, I’ve got to do this, and while I don’t want to offend certain individuals who read my blog, this must be said. There is a good reason words like this exist, and you can scroll down if you don’t want to read it. So in other words, pardon my language when I say…

WHAT THE FUCK, PHILLIPS!?

I mean seriously, these sorts of of restrictions were phased out in the early 1800s for a number of very good reasons. Property owners are not the only people with a “vested interest” in the state of the country, nor do they have a primary interest. Every citizen, no matter their standing, economic situation, race or gender have a right to vote. That is the way things should be.

I don’t care if that’s what the Founding Father’s intended. We can make changes to our government for a reason. Black people couldn’t vote at one point. Women couldn’t vote at one point. Should we roll back those elements of our rights too? Of course, look who I’m talking to. Of course they’d restrict that too.

 I’ve been proud to be an American under the basis that I have a stake in my government. I have a voice. Under this proposed restriction, I would not be able to vote. Neither would any of my siblings. Nor would anybody living in a rented apartment or duplex. Most people living in all major cities would be unable to vote! Think about the implications! We’re not an agrarian society anymore. Many, many people rent from landlords. This proposal is elitist bullshit that puts the power of the government completely in the hands of rich landowners and landlords. It’s practically a reversal to feudalism with a republic twist.

Do Not Want.

And come to find out, this has been a pet project of a number of republicans, including Supreme Court Justice Scalia, Governor (and secessionist in patriot’s clothing) Rick Perry and others. Where has the media coverage been? Why hasn’t this fundamental challenge to my rights been illuminated before now? This is the kind of thing that should be on every nightly news cast in America, dissected so that the people know exactly what is at stake. Instead we have fluff pieces. My God! What is happening to American freedom?

I’m going to start rambling if I don’t cut myself off there, so… on to Wikileaks.

Here’s the long and of it. I like Wikileaks. Without them I wouldn’t be giggling over the Libyan President’s usage of Botox, or the Italians being the girl-of-the-street to Russia’s pimp. Hilarious. But I also love it for bringing transparency to our Government. I strongly believe in transparency in Government (and privacy in personal lives, for contrast). I want to know when my Government makes shady backroom deals and why. I want to know who we are supporting, who we are attacking and for what reasons. I want to know when my country illegally spies on the U.N., and when they experiment with chemicals and drugs on poor villages in third-world countries. I want all of this without the political spin and filter. “Knowing is half the battle,” as a wise Saturday morning cartoon once said.

 I don’t like the idea of people being in trouble and in danger for their lives because of this information. I really don’t. But that’s the gray.

Of course this is surely only the tip of the iceberg, and the really secret secrets are still secret. I would love for those layers to be peeled back as well. And I don’t just want this for America. I want this to hit Russia, China, the U.K., Japan. I want this transparency to hit everywhere, and keep on expanding.

I know that already there have been major shady dealings that are going on to put Wikileaks down. Everything from putting pressure on Amazon to drop Wikileaks for ridiculous reasons, to possible assassination attempts of the figureheads behind the organization. This just furthers my insistence that we need transparency. What other shady dealings and black ops are going on that we don’t know about? What if these operations don’t match up with the American ideals and values? I want to know.

So yay, Wikileaks! Glad you already found a new home in Switzerland!

That’s all for today, folks! Lot’s of ranty-rant and political opinionating. Hope you enjoyed the return to form for today at least!

– Edward L. Cheever II